Frederick Douglass/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim is washing his hands in a kitchen sink. Moby is holding a book. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh great, you finished your autobiography. Tim holds Moby's book titled, "Narrative of The Life of Moby, An American Robot." Tim reads through some of it. TIM: Hmmm. Wait a minute. You weren't born on a plantation. You didn't escape from here, and you definitely never met Abraham Lincoln. This is just Frederick Douglass's autobiography with his name crossed out and yours written in, isn't it? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Sorry, but you're gonna have to tell Oprah to pick someone else's memoir. Tim reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, We learned about Frederick Douglass in school, but I'd like to know more. From, Myron. Sure thing, Myron. An animation shows Frederick Douglass holding a newspaper and speaking in front of a lectern. TIM: Frederick Douglass was one of the most famous American abolitionists of the nineteenth century. That means he was an opponent of slavery. Douglass was a brilliant speaker, writer, and activist. His words were extra powerful, because he'd experienced the horrors of slavery firsthand. MOBY: Beep. An image shows Maryland on a map of the United States. TIM: Yep, Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland, around 1818. He was separated from his mother, right after he was born. And he never knew who his father was. He wasn't even allowed to know his own age. An animation shows a crying African-American woman holding a baby. A pair of white arms take the baby away. TIM: As a boy, Douglass suffered from cold and hunger. And he saw friends and family whipped by plantation owners. But he got lucky: well, as lucky as a slave could get. He was sold to a family in Baltimore that wasn't quite so cruel. An image shows Douglass as a boy witnessing a slave owner whip a slave who is on his knees. TIM: The wife even taught Douglass how to read and write, at least until her husband put a stop to it. An image shows a white woman teaching Douglass the alphabet. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Back then, it was against the law to teach slaves to read. The same image is crossed out. TIM: Slave owners thought that books could give their slaves dangerous ideas about freedom, and in Douglass's case, they were right. An image shows a boy looking out from a bedroom window. TIM: Even though he was still a boy, Douglass realized that he could escape from slavery and be free. So he continued his education in secret, planning to flee to the North as soon as he could. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Nope, Douglass had to endure years of hardship before he escaped. But in 1838, he disguised himself as a sailor, and made it to freedom. An image shows an older Douglass dressed as a sailor. TIM: He and his wife settled in Massachusetts, where they met a man named William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison was one of the leading abolitionists of the day and he published a popular anti-slavery newspaper. An image shows Massachusetts on a map of the United States. Side by side images show William Lloyd Garrison at a desk and a newspaper titled, "The Liberator." TIM: In 1843, Garrison invited Douglass to speak at an abolitionist meeting. Douglass decided to give it a go. He amazed the crowd with a passionate retelling of his life story. It was such a success that Douglass began lecturing throughout the free parts of the United States. He even traveled abroad and spoke to packed houses in Britain and Ireland. An image shows Douglass on stage speaking to a large audience. TIM: Two years later, he published his first book, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave", which is today considered a literary classic. An image shows Frederick Douglass's book, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave." MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, I know you've read it. You copied out the whole thing. Anyway, the book became a best seller in both America and Europe. An animation shows three well-dressed white women reading Douglass's book. One of the women pictures herself in in a field, working alongside the slaves. TIM: The first-person prose gave readers a direct experience of Douglass's story. Many had never before considered America's slaves as human beings capable of suffering. Overnight, Douglass became a leading abolitionist spokesman. TIM: He began his own anti-slavery newspaper, "The North Star." He also supported the brand-new Women's Rights Movement, and Ireland's right to be free of British rule. An image shows the anti-slavery newspaper "The North Star", women carrying a sign that says, “Votes for Women,” and a torn piece of Ireland’s flag. MOBY: Beep. TIM: That's right. Douglass was friends with Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, Douglass called for African-American troops to be admitted to the all-white Union army. When they finally were, he and his sons helped recruit soldiers for the first all-black regiment since the Revolutionary War. An image shows African-American soldiers in uniform. TIM: But Douglass got angry when he found out they were paid less than whites. So in 1863, he told Lincoln about it personally. It was the first time an African-American met with the president at the White House. The two remained in touch for the rest of Lincoln's presidency. An image shows Douglass meeting with Abraham Lincoln. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, after the Civil War, Douglass continued to lecture, write, and publish newspapers. He also held a bunch of official government positions, like Marshall of Washington D.C., and Consul General to the country of Haiti. Images show Douglass surrounded by the things Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. Moby is holding his book. TIM: Well, no, he died in 1895, so I guess he couldn't sue you for copying his book. MOBY: Beep. Moby zips out of the kitchen in a flash. TIM: But you still shouldn't do it. I mean, plagiarism is wrong. Oh boy. Tim walks down the street and sees a large poster for Moby's book in the window of a bookstore. It reads: "MOBY: Narrative of an American Robot. Today! Meet the Author!" It has a large picture of Moby, dressed to look like Frederick Douglass. TIM: Man, they'll publish anything these days.Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts